Salem State Squeezes MIT Late For 1-0 Win

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Junior Theresa Lefebvre came off the bench on Saturday and rallied the Lady Vikings to an improbable last-second victory as Salem State spoiled MIT's home opener with a 1-0 win at Steinbrenner Stadium. Kat Vater made a season-high 11 saves in the loss, but couldn't make the critical 12th stop with only 13 seconds remaining in the game.

Despite a steady drizzle, Saturday's non-conference match featured a quick pace. While both teams struggled to sustain momentum, each squad showcased plenty of heroics on defense. Mary Harding made several great plays in the middle to thwart the Vikings' attack, while Ashleigh Leonard and Jodie Wu also responded with key stops to prevent Salem from finishing.

The Lady Vikings had 16 shots during the tilt, including 11 in the second half. The Engineers had just five shots during the game and only two over the final 45 minutes. Tech's best chance for a score came late in the first half on a breakaway by Amy Ludlum, but a superb play by Lauren Geibel broke up the scoring opportunity and negated the threat. Geibel took most of the corner kicks for Salem State and placed two rockets on goal that were both denied by Vater.

Well inside the final minute, Salem made a last push. Battling for control of the ball, Ashley Bulloch knocked a pass back to Lefebvre who took a swipe on net from about 20 yards out on the left side. What initially looked like a harmless kick toward the goal quickly turned into a credible threat as the ball continued to sail. Although Vater tipped the shot with both hands, the ball fell behind the outstretched arms of Tech's keeper and softly rolled to the back of the net for the game-winner.